Literature Circle #4

Cassandra Pofahl
Qualitative Research Methods
Role: S
This study sought to shed light on the shared reality of
participants in lesbian communities created and sustained through
interaction via computer. Previous research regarding community
found locale, common ties, social interaction as the basis for building
and maintaining the community. Internet communities are based more
on intimacy, moral commitment, and social cohesion.
The author also reviewed research involving lesbian bars in order
to look into the many functions it serves, including creating identity
and establishing relationships. The researcher then wanted to expand
the definition of community by analyzing lesbian communities on the
internet.

This ethnography looked to answer the following questions:

-In what ways to patrons reach a consensus about the setting of the
internet caf?
-What role does the shared sense of reality serve in maintaining the
community?
-In what way does the notion of a shared reality compel certain actions
on the part of its members?

-What is real and what is not for these community members?

Data collection was collected through participant observation,

group interview, and individual interviews. Most observations were
read from the computer screen.
The researcher compiled the positive associations participants
made with their online community. This included a lack of emphasis on
appearance, the members ability to construct and edit comments
before posting, the ease of communicating if the member is shy, fronts
and idealizations are more controllable for all members, and members
could flirt without being taken seriously.
The researcher also looked at the limitations when building a
community via the internet. This included the fact that emotions can
be hard to convey, that conveying these emotions via computer can be
inadequate, that the members may want to meet, or be with the
person they are speaking with, and the difficulty censoring sexually
explicit notes.
The researcher also broke community members down into 4
types:
regulars, newbies, lurkers, and bashers. The members status can
affect their interpretation of the community and their ability to take
from and contribute to the community.

Lastly, the study found that the longevity of site was related to
groups creating a common reality and displaying behaviors that are
consistent with the group dynamic.